Departmental Public Expenditure

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether consideration has been given to applying gender responsive budgeting to his Department's budget.

Shaun Woodward: The UK Government are supportive of efforts to achieve gender equality and continues to work very closely with both the Women's National Commission and the Women's Budget Group on promoting gender equality within the UK.
	In 2004, HM Treasury undertook a pilot project on gender analysis of expenditure with the Women's Budget Group. The project demonstrated the value of gender analysis in some areas and identified what tools and expertise were necessary within Government to carry out gender analysis, but that further work was needed before gender responsive budgeting could be implemented.
	In 2008, HM Treasury will be conducting further work that will determine whether it is prudent and feasible to disaggregate departmental expenditure statistics by gender.

Olympic Games 2012: Essex

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics pursuant to her answer of the 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2309W, on Olympic Games 2012: Essex, how many times the Nations and Regions Group has met since it was established.

Tessa Jowell: The Nations and Regions Group first met in May 2004, before London was confirmed as the location for the 2012 games. It's role then was to bring substance to our bid commitment that we would spread the benefits from the 2012 games across the UK, and also to generate support within the UK for London's bid. It met a total of four times before July 2005, when London's success was confirmed.
	Since July 2005, the group has continued to meet and has developed more formal operating and governance arrangements. It has met a further 12 times and will continue to meet quarterly. The group's purpose is to deliver against the bid commitment to maximise the levels of engagement and benefit across the UK from the 2012 games, which was a key component of our bid success.

Olympic Games 2012: Landscaping

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many companies she expects to undertake work on landscaping contracts for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority will appoint three main contractors to undertake the management of landscaping for the 2012 Olympic Park—the North Park contract; the South Park contract and the Greenway contract. For off-park venues, the responsibility for landscaping will rest with the main contractor appointed to each venue. The ODA would then expect each main contractor to use subcontractors and suppliers to carry out the required works.
	Until the main contractors have been appointed, I cannot say how many companies will be involved, as this will depend on how the works are then phased and split with each contractor.
	To help businesses access 2012-related contracts, the London 2012 Business Network was launched in January of this year. A key part of this is CompeteFor, an online brokerage service matches the profiles of suppliers and buyers, enabling businesses to directly compete for contracts, including landscaping contracts. I would encourage companies in your constituency to take advantage of this opportunity.

Community Fund: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects in Tamworth constituency have received community fund grants.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Grants totalling £3,401,356 have been awarded by the Community Fund to the Tamworth constituency and are listed in the following table.
	The information is location specific. That is the list includes only grants that are specific to locations in the constituency and excludes grants that might have gone to addresses in the constituency, to headquarters offices for example, but are not otherwise related to it. The Department's lottery grants database is searchable at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	and uses information supplied by the lottery distributors.
	
		
			  Grants awarded by the Community Fund to the constituency of Tamworth 
			  Recipient  Award date  Award amount (£) 
			 Shenstone Day Care Centre 19 December 1995 2,500 
			 Housing Community Chest - Tamworth 17 December 1996 13,000 
			 Tamworth Sea Cadets 18 September 1997 181,014 
			 South East Staffordshire Centre for Integrated Living 18 September1997 197,130 
			 Stonnall Village Hall 30 October 1998 15,000 
			 1st Hopwas Scout Group 7 January 1999 152,000 
			 Tamworth Male voice Choir 20 April 1999 5,000 
			 Shenstone Village Hall 27 April 1999 23,462 
			 Mercian Ward Community Association 17 June 1999 2,387 
			 Mile Oak Sea Scout Group 17 June 1999 3,065 
			 The Dark Ages Charitable Trust 9 September 1999 5,000 
			 Hopwas Playing Field Committee 11 November 1999 5,000 
			 Harlaston Village Hall Management Committee 26 November 1999 4,000 
			 Bancroft Community Association 26 November 1999 5,000 
			 Tamworth Council for Voluntary Service 2 December 1999 182,187 
			 Argyle Pre-School Nursery 27 January 2000 750 
			 The National Association for Special educational Needs NASEN 27 January 2000 5,000 
			 Tamworth Division Guide Association 27 January 2000 2,018 
			 Staffordshire Scouts International Friendship Camp 2000 31 March 2000 5,000 
			 Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA) 31 March 2000 2,357 
			 Tamworth Talking Newspaper 31 March 2000 5,000 
			 4th Tamworth (St. Editha's) Scout Group 31 March 2000 4,616 
			 Tamworth Third Age 31 March 2000 4,490 
			 Edingdale Pre-School Playgroup 15 June 2000 500 
			 Colon Green Community Hall Association 15 June 2000 5,000 
			 Fazeley Pre-School 15 June 2000 1,000 
			 Mile Oak Munchkins Pre School 15 June 2000 3,450 
			 Tamworth Community Service Council 13 July 2000 134,097 
			 Shenstone Playing Fields Management Committee 6 September 2000 3,755 
			 Lichfield and District PLA Branch Exec Sub-Committee 6 September 2000 4,998 
			 Tamworth Sea Cadets 25 September 2000 5,000 
			 1122 (Marmion) Air Training Corps 25 September 2000 5,000 
			 Age Concern Tamworth 1 November 2000 153,494 
			 Shropshire County Scout Council 5 April 2001 5,000 
			 Stonnall Pre-School Playgroup 5 April 2001 2,499 
			 Colon Green Pre-School Nursery 5 July 2001 5,000 
			 Wigginton (St. Leonard's) Scout Group 5 July 2001 4,993 
			 Harlaston Village Hall Management Committee 5 July 2001 5,000 
			 1st Hopwas Seoul Group 5 July 2001 5,000 
			 54lh Birmingham Guides 5 July 2001 1,962 
			 Home Start Tamworth 19 July 2001 82,146 
			 Edingale Village Hall 14 September 2001 3,778 
			 Glascote Advice Shop 21 November 2001 4,716 
			 Parochial Church Council of Glascote and Stonydelph 24 January 2002 445,280 
			 Stonnall Village Hall 31 January 2002 3,041 
			 Glascote Platoon 'A' Coy Warwickshire ACF 18 April 2002 4,703 
			 Tamworth Community Service Council 18 April 2002 4,275 
			 Age Concern Tamworth 18 July 2002 86,551 
			 Tamworth & District Citizens Advice Bureau 19 September 2002 200,991 
			 Age Concern Tamworth 28 November 2002 32,614 
			 Tamworth Council for Voluntary Service 20 March 2003 323,851 
			 Tamworth Cornerstone Housing Association 18 July 2003 216,480 
			 Age Concern Tamworth 30 January 2004 23,364 
			 Tamworth Council for Voluntary Service 30 January 2004 260,131 
			 Edingale Village Hall 30 January 2004 26,385 
			 Parochial Church Council of Glascote & Stonydelph 10 May 2005 60,000 
			 Home Start Tamworth 10 May 2005 78,467 
			 The Manna House (Tamworth) Company 10 May 2005 104,819 
			 Elford Village Hall 8 August 2005 204,350 
			 The Manna House (Tamworth) Company 8 August 2005 64,690

National Lottery: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects were awarded funding by the Big Lottery Fund in Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years.  [Official Report, 31 March 2008, Vol. 474, c. 5MC.]

Gerry Sutcliffe: Grants awarded by the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessors, the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund, in each of the last five completed financial years to the Tamworth Constituency are listed in the following table.
	The information is location specific. That is the list includes only grants that are specific to locations in the constituency and excludes grants that might have gone to addresses in the constituency, to headquarters offices for example, but are not otherwise related to it. The Department's Lottery Grants Database is searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk and uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.
	 Grants awarded by the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessors the Community Fund and The New Opportunities Fund during each of the last five completed financial years to the constituency of Tamworth
	There are no grants made by the Big Lottery Fund to the constituency of Tamworth in any of the last five completed financial years.
	
		
			  Community fund financial year 2002-03 
			  Recipient  Award date  Award amount  (£) 
			 Glascote Platoon 'A' Coy Warwickshire ACF 18 April 2002 4,703 
			 Tamworth Community Service Council 18 April 2002 4,275 
			 Age Concern Tamworth 18 July 2002 86,551 
			 Tamworth and District Citizens Advice Bureau 19 September 2002 200,991 
			 Age Concern Tamworth 28 November 2002 32,614 
			 Tamworth Council for Voluntary Service 20 March 2003 323,851 
		
	
	
		
			  Community fund financial year 2003-04 
			  Recipient  Award date  Award amount (£) 
			 Tamworth Cornerstone Housing Association 18 July 2003 216,480 
			 Age Concern Tamworth 30 November 2004 23,364 
			 Tamworth Council for Voluntary Service 30 January 2004 260,131 
			 Edingale Village Hall 30 January 2004 26,385 
		
	
	There were no grants made by the Community Fund to the constituency of Tamworth in the financial year 2004-05.
	
		
			  Community fund financial year 2005-06 
			  Recipient  Award date  Award amount (£) 
			 Parochial Church Council of Glascote and Stonydelph 10 May 2005 60,000 
			 Home Start Tamworth 10 May 2005 78,467 
			 The Manna House (Tamworth) Company 10 May 2005 104,819 
			 Elford Village Hall 8 August 2005 204,350 
			 The Manna House (Tamworth) Company 8 August 2005 64,690 
		
	
	There are no grants made by the Community Fund to the constituency of Tamworth in the financial year 2006-07.
	
		
			  New opportunities fund 2002 -03 
			  Recipient  Award date  Award amount (£) 
			 Argyle Pre-School Nursery 18 April 2002 1,750 
			 Oakhill Primary School 19 December 2002 10,000 
		
	
	There are no grants made by the New Opportunities Fund to the constituency of Tamworth in the financial year 2003-04 or 2004-05.
	
		
			  New opportunities fund 2005-06 
			  Recipient  Award date  Award amount (£) 
			 Tamworth Council for Voluntary Service 10 October 2005 149,935 
		
	
	
		
			  New opportunities fund 2006-07 
			  Recipient  Award date  Award amount (£) 
			 Hodge Lane Conservation Group 9 October 2006 3,328

Members

Sarah Teather: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will review the green card system used to alert hon. and right hon. Members about visitors to assess its effectiveness as a messaging tool; and if the Commission will take steps to ensure hon. Members' offices are alerted by telephone as soon as a green card is submitted.

Nick Harvey: I will ask the Serjeant at Arms to review the green card system and report back to the House of Commons Commission.
	When a visitor submits a green card during a normal business day, a Doorkeeper will endeavour to reach the Member or his/her staff by telephone.
	During mass lobbies, when the number of green cards submitted can exceed 1,000, it is not possible to make a personal telephone call in each case. The hon. Member may wish to be aware that when green cards are received in Members' Lobby during mass lobbies there are a number of options for being informed about the arrival of constituents.
	Messages can be sent via:
	pager
	text to mobile phone
	e-mail
	fax
	illumination of a red flashing light on the Member's desk telephone, or the Member's staff telephone, indicating that there is an item on the Message Board in Members' Lobby.
	Additionally, a Doorkeeper will take the green card messages around the Palace and the Portcullis House atrium to try to deliver them to Members personally. For further information, and to confirm how they wish to receive messages, Members are invited to contact the Messaging Administrator on extension 5678. Leaflets about this service are also available from the Doorkeepers in the Members' Lobby.

Security

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many  (a) males and  (b) females, broken down by age group, were (i) arrested, (ii) prosecuted and (iii) convicted of trespass in the Palace of Westminster in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Nick Harvey: The Palace of Westminster became a designated site relating to Trespass under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 on 1 June 2007.
	The only persons arrested for trespass have been the demonstrators on the roof on 27 February 2008. Five persons were arrested: female aged 20; female aged 23; male aged 27; male aged 34 and male aged 31.

Visitor Management

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what progress has been made in introducing an improved visitor management system; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The new visitor management system is being trialled at the Derby Gate entrance to the estate. The system will be installed at two further entry points (1 Parliament Street and Black Rod's Garden) during March, with the full programme of installation due for completion by July 2008.

English Partnerships: Vacant Land

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of land owned by English Partnerships is unused; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: At English Partnerships' (EP) last annual valuation in April 2007, EP owned 8,500 hectares of land. EP plans to dispose of around 400 hectares for development during the 2007-08 financial year, mostly through market competition, as well as 565 hectares which has no potential for housing or commercial use, as amenity land.
	English Partnerships brings forward its land for development in the usual way through the statutory planning regime, working with local authorities and other partners in both public and private sectors to support high quality sustainable growth in England by creating well-served mixed communities. EP also has a programme which purchases and sells Surplus Public Sector Land, including redundant hospital sites. This is in line with last year's Housing Green Paper, making a contribution towards the Government's ambition to see three million new homes built by 2020.

Health and Safety Executive

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008,  Official Report, column 778W, on the Health and Safety Executive, for what reasons the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister did not communicate the warnings of the Health and Safety Executive in relation to certain water heaters to social landlords and private householders following the 2002 fatality.

Iain Wright: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received information about the 2002 fatality following an approach by its officials to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This information comprised a copy of the HSE factual report into the accident and a covering letter.
	HSE has made it clear that at the time of the fatality, they considered the circumstances which led up to the accident to be very rare. The information passed to ODPM was taken into account in our work with relevant trade and industry bodies to develop minimum standards of competence for the Building Regulations Competent Persons Schemes and in our preparations for a planned review of part g of the building regulations to fully consider all aspects of hot water safety.
	Neither HSE nor CLG took any further action to disseminate the information from the report of the 2002 accident more widely.

Housing: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, columns 1140-1W, on housing: finance, for what reasons her Department's capital investment in  (a) council-owned housing stock and  (b) home ownership schemes in relation to housing associations was less in 2006-07 than in each of the previous three years.

Iain Wright: The overall investment in housing has increased year on year up to and including 2006-07. There are a number of reasons why there was a reduction in the level of capital investment in council owned stock in 2006-07: reduced stock numbers; a separation of monies for private sector renewal from the funding stream that previously combined this funding with that for council housing stock and the recommendations of regional assemblies on the allocation of available resources for new build affordable housing (including low cost home ownership schemes) and investment in existing stock.

Housing: Local Government Finance

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether all funding from local authorities for redistribution under the Housing Revenue Account programme is ring-fenced for housing projects led by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Currently all assumed surpluses that are captured by the housing revenue account subsidy system are redistributed to authorities with assumed deficits and paid into individual authorities' housing revenue accounts. The housing revenue account is ring-fenced and authorities can only use these resources for the upkeep of their own housing stock. In the current year Government are forecast to make a net contribution to the overall subsidy system.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the results of the consultation on local government reorganisation in Cheshire; and how many and what proportion of responses indicated a broad cross-section of support for two unitary councils.

John Healey: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today.

Unitary Councils: Cheshire

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which respondents to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Cheshire expressed support for two unitary councils.

John Healey: I refer my right hon. Friend to my statement to the House on 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1050, and the publication, 'Proposals for Future Unitary Structures: Stakeholder ConsultationSummary of Reponses', published by my Department on 19 November 2007.

Children: Day Care

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the quality of childcare and early years education in  (a) deprived areas and  (b) affluent areas; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The 2006-07 Ofsted Schools Inspection(1) Annual Report presents information on the quality of childcare and nursery education settings. Of the 27,236 settings inspected, overall childcare quality was outstanding in 3 per cent. of settings, good in 54 per cent., satisfactory in 39 per cent. and inadequate in 4 per cent. The standard of early education in 6,343 settings was rated as outstanding (5 per cent.), good (55 per cent.), satisfactory (37 per cent.) and inadequate (2 per cent.). The report also found that of 16,512 childminders overall childcare quality was of an outstanding quality for 3 per cent. of providers, 54 per cent. were of good quality, 39 per cent. were of satisfactory quality and 3 per cent. were of inadequate quality.
	These findings are supported by this Department's evaluation of the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative (NNI), published in March 2007, which provides information on the quality of childcare and early years education in disadvantaged areas. The study found that 93 per cent. of settings were rated as at 1east of inadequate quality. least of adequate quality. 70 per cent. were providing provision quality that was of an adequate but just below a good standard of care with 23 per cent. offering a good to excellent standard of provision. Settings were most successful at providing children with pleasant and appropriate staff-child interactions that were warm and respectful. Although there is no comparable data on settings in more affluent areas the study found that families from very different backgrounds and with different needs were being offered comparable quality of provision. Nurseries providing for high proportions of disadvantaged families offered comparable quality services to settings serving less disadvantaged families.
	(1)( )For inspection purposes, provision quality in UK childcare and early years settings is explored through professional judgements captured through the recently developed Ofsted Inspection Framework. The framework is used to assess whether settings meet the minimum standards of providing quality provision. The framework measures quality based on the effective delivery of the Every Child Matters Outcomes, for children: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving and making a positive contribution. Settings are rated on a four point grading scale, where 1 = outstanding, 2 = good, 3 = satisfactory, 4 = inadequate.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what requirements his Department places on contractors in relation to audit of personal data and IT equipment.

Kevin Brennan: The Department's contract templates include clauses for use where a contractor is required to process information on individuals in any way either electronically or on paper that ensure data protection, confidentiality and prevent the loss of data.
	Where a contractor's employees are required to have access to, or knowledge or custody of, Government assets such as documents, IT equipment and the Department's premises, the contractor must meet the Government-wide personnel security standard, which requires employee checks on identity, employment history, nationality and immigration status and the declaration of unspent criminal records.
	Contractors are also bound by the requirements of the Data Protection Act and will operate in accordance with their corporate governance, security and audit arrangements.

Departmental Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what efficiency savings his Department was required to make as part of its Spending Review 2004 (SR04) targets; what efficiency projects have been undertaken in the Department in pursuit of those targets; on what date each was initiated; and how much each was predicted to contribute to the SR04 target.

Kevin Brennan: The Department is jointly committed with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), to the efficiency target set originally for the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
	The DfES target is 2.5 per cent. a year over the spending review 2004 period. This means being able to demonstrate cumulative gains against our baseline of 1.45 billion in 2005-06, 2.9 billion in 2006-07 and 4.35 billion in 2007-08.
	Details of the specific initiatives which contribute to our Gershon efficiency target are set out in our Efficiency Technical Note, which is available on the Department's website.

Young People: Suicide

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people under the age of 21 years committed suicide in 2007; and what research has been undertaken by his Department on suicide risk factors and methods of prevention of suicide among young people.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of deaths from suicide and undetermined injury among people aged under 20 in England in the latest available year, 2006, was 128. Data from the Office for National Statistics is provided in five-year age bands, not single years, so information on suicides by those under 21 is not available.
	Research conducted by a number of organisations, including the Department, outline many of the risk factors associated with suicide and these helped form the basis of the suicide prevention strategy for England.
	The Department has also funded, through the National Institute for Health Research, a programme entitled Collaborative learning on the web. The role of online communities in public and professional health education: an exploration based on self-harm. This study aims to support collaboration between young people and health professionals in the production of health information to young people who self-harm.

Animal Experiments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to regulate animal testing; and how many animals  (a) were used in and  (b) died during testing in the last (i) 10 years and (ii) 12 months.

Meg Hillier: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 makes provision for the protection of animals used for experimental or other scientific purposes which may have the effect of causing pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. The production, as well as the use, of genetically modified animals is also regulated by the Act. The Act puts into effect, and in some ways exceeds, the requirements of European Union Directive 86/609/EEC and of Council of Europe Convention ETS 123. The Act is administered by the Home Office in England, Scotland and Wales and by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland.
	The Act has a three-level licensing system: those carrying out scientific procedures must hold personal licences, which ensures that they are qualified and suitable; the programme of work must be authorised in a project licence; and the place at which the work is carried out must hold a certificate of designation. Home Office inspectors appointed under the Act monitor compliance with the terms and conditions of licences and certificates.
	Comprehensive statistics on the use of animals under the Act are published annually. Copies are deposited in the House Library. For convenience the numbers of animals used between 1996 and 2006 (the last year for which figures are available) are shown in the table. We do not collect information about the disposal of animals but the majority of animals used in procedures regulated under the 1986 Act are humanely killed on completion of the work in which they are involved in accordance with the requirements of the Act and relevant project licence conditions. Animals taken into brief captivity for the performance of minor regulated procedures are released to the wild provided that the animals will not be at a biological disadvantage as a result of the regulated procedure performed or of its time in captivity and also provided the animals are certified as fit to be released by a veterinary surgeon or a suitably qualified person.
	
		
			  Living animals used in scientific procedures regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 
			   Total animal usage 
			 1996 2,646,026 
			 1997 2,573,088 
			 1998 2,593,587 
			 1999 2,569,295 
			 2000 2,642,993 
			 2001 2,567,713 
			 2002 2,655,876 
			 20Q3 2,791,781 
			 2004 2,778,692 
			 2005 2,812,850 
			 2006 2,946,624

Passports

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it took on average for each of the passport issuing offices in the United Kingdom to process a passport to applicants in 2006.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 1 February 2008
	Average processing time for straight forward properly completed postal passport applications by issuing office in 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  Regional office  Average working days 
			 London 2.85 
			 Liverpool 4.41 
			 Peterborough 4.24 
			 Newport 3.39 
			 Glasgow 4.71 
			 Belfast 5.30 
			 Durham 3.92 
		
	
	The London regional office were processing small volumes of postal work during January and February in 2006. However, London deal primarily with applications made in person.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether personal data for which his Department is responsible is  (a) stored and  (b) processed overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: No personal data for which this Department is responsible is stored or processed overseas.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of his Department's activities will be discontinued following the recent budget pressures referred by the Minister for Sustainable Farming, Food and Animal Welfare in evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on 3 March 2007.

Jonathan R Shaw: In setting a balanced budget for 2008-09 DEFRA has prioritised all its activities. The need to prioritise activities necessitates a review of the extent, timing and way we deliver our services in order to maximise value for money within the available budget. Hence we shall be reviewing the support we provide to business, consumers and the public sector in the drive towards a low carbon and resource efficient economy.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average hourly rate his Department and its predecessors paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For the years 2005, 2006, 2007 the core-Department holds the following average hourly charge rate data:
	
		
			  Hourly r ate () 
			   Adecco  Office Angels  Brook Street  Kelly Services 
			 2007 10.23 10.56 n/a n/a 
			 2006 9.47 (1)10.33 11.72 10.75 
			 2005 9.33 n/a 10.74 8.04 
			 (1) October to December. 
		
	
	The average hourly rate charge varies from firm to firm because it is dependent on the total charge(s) divided by the total numbers of hours worked.

Departmental Written Questions

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of Parliamentary questions for answer on a named day to his Department received a  (a) holding and  (b) substantive answer on the named day in each year since 2001.

Jonathan R Shaw: Records for the parliamentary sessions 2001-02 and 2002-03 were not maintained in such a way to enable the Department to extract the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Session  Total named day parliamentary questions  Holding answers issued  Substantive answer on the due date 
			 2003-04 626 524 102 
			 2004-05 269 187 82 
			 2005-06 934 619 315 
			 2006-07 791 406 385 
		
	
	My ministerial colleagues and I aim to ensure that hon. Members receive a substantive response to their named day questions on the due day. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.

Departmental Written Questions

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many written questions to his Department had not received an answer as at 25 February 2008 for  (a) between two and four,  (b) between four and six,  (c) between six and eight and  (d) more than eight weeks; and how many in each category were tabled for named day answer.

Jonathan R Shaw: Our records are not maintained in such a way to enable the Department to extract the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs.
	However, our records show the following:
	
		
			  Parliamentary questions received by 25 February 2008 
			   Written  Named day 
			 Total PQs 1,618 395 
			 PQs answered on time 1,050 165 
			 1 day late 119 56 
			 2-5 days late 229 124 
			 6-10 days late 129 25 
			 11 days late 91 25 
		
	
	My ministerial colleagues and I aim to ensure that hon. Members receive a substantive response to their named day questions on the due day. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on the removal of management plans from the Entry Level Stewardship schemes; how many farmers he estimates have been affected; and what alternative schemes he plans to bring forward to encourage environmentally-friendly farming.

Jonathan R Shaw: Four management plan optionsfor nutrients, soil, crop protection products and manurewere removed from the list of 62 available options under Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) following discussions with the EU Commission as part of the process of EU approval of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), under which ELS is funded. This was in response to concerns that these options did not require agreement holders to do more than would be required of them under cross compliance or part of good agricultural and environmental practice and would not therefore justify additional payment.
	However, ELS agreements entered into before 1 January 2007 will not be affected by the change and these management plans will continue to attract appropriate payments for the remaining life of agreements.
	A number of industry stakeholders have since raised concerns, including the National Farmers Union (NFU), Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Agricultural Industries Confederation, Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG).
	Of the 5,400 provisional agreements entered into from 1 January 2007, around 2,600 include management plans options and around 1,800 of these will no longer have sufficient surplus points to meet the points threshold now that management plan options are not available. Natural England, which delivers the scheme, has contacted all agreement holders and is working closely with those affected to help ensure that they are able to remain in ELS. The latest advice from Natural England suggests that most agreement holders want to remain in the scheme and will choose new options to achieve the required threshold.
	It is important to bear in mind, that even with the removal of management plans, ELS remains largely unchanged and, with over 30,000 farmers already signed up covering 50 per cent. of farmland in England, the scheme should continue to deliver key environmental outcomes. And with 58 options remaining available, farmers wanting to join ELS should still be able to do so.

Child Support Agency: Compensation

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants owed compensation by the Child Support Agency (CSA) are awaiting payment of compensation from each of the last five years; and how much the CSA owes in such compensation for each of those years.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 7 March 2008
	 The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 12 March 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants owed compensation by the Child Support Agency (CSA) are awaiting payment of compensation from each of the last five years; and how much the CSA owes in such compensation for each of those years.
	The Child Support Agency operates a discretionary, non-statutory scheme providing financial redress for maladministration. Awards may be made to redress any financial losses incurred and can include consolatory payments made by way of an apology for delay, inconvenience, worry and distress caused.
	The Agency will consider whether such payments are appropriate either by request or in the course of resolving a compliant. As such, there is only a short delay between the decision to make a payment and any such payment being made.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will break down the number of non-resident parents from whom the Child Support Agency is seeking to collect maintenance arrears by  (a) age of their debt and  (b) the amounts owed within each age of debt band.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter of the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 12 March 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of Sate promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will break down the number of non-resident parents from whom the Child Support Agency is seeking to collect maintenance arrears by (a) age of their debt and (b) the amounts owed within each of debt age band.
	The Agency reports the amount of outstanding debt in its Annual Report and Accounts, the latest version of which is held in the House of Commons library. The information requested is supplementary to that reported and therefore the additional analysis provided in the attached table does not include the provisions applied as a result of the annual debt analysis exercise within the Agency's accounts.
	The original Child Support Computer System (CSCS) does not record the age of outstanding arrears. This means that the age of any debt accrued on that system including debt on cases subsequently migrated to the new computer system (CS2) can not be reported. The tables provided therefore are restricted to a breakdown of debt accrued on CS2, and summary totals for debt held on CSCS and for debt accrued on CSCS which has since been migrated from CSCS to CS2.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of non resident parents with outstanding debt accrued on CS2, and amount of debt outstanding by age band: November 2007 
			  Age of debt  Amount of debt outstanding ( millions)  Number of non resident parents 
			 0-3 Months 93 (1)411,900 
			 3-6 Months 75 (1)306,400 
			 6-9 Months 69 (1)282,100 
			 9-1 2 Months 66 (1)260,300 
			 12-1 8 Months 123 (1)271,100 
			 18-24 Months 118 (1)239,200 
			 24-36 months 202 (1)222,800 
			 36-48 Months 158 (1)142,000 
			 48 Months+ 134 (1)72,800 
			 Total 1,038  
			 (1) Each non-resident parent may be included in several lines. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of non resident parents with outstanding debt migrated from CSCS to CS2 and amount of debt outstanding: November 2007 
			 Amount of debt outstanding ( millions) 622 
			 Number of non resident parents 55,900 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of non resident parents with outstanding debt on CSCS and amount of debt outstanding: November 2007 
			 Amount of debt outstanding ( millions) 2,125 
			 Number of non resident parents 349,200 
			  Notes: 1. A non resident parent has been recorded within each time band in which they have debt outstanding in e.g. if they have debt that is less than three months old, debt that is 3-6 months old, and debt that is 6-9 months old they will be counted in all three age bands. Therefore the number of NRPs given in the answer cannot be totalled to show the number of NRPs with outstanding debt. 2. If a NRP also has debt which has migrated from CSCS to CS2, they will be counted again in this category. 3. The number of NRPs has been rounded to the nearest hundred; the amount of outstanding debt has been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand. 4. The Agency reports the amount of outstanding debt in its Annual Report and Accounts. The information set out in these tables is supplementary to that reported and therefore does not include the provisions applied as a result of the annual debt analysis exercise within the Agency's accounts. 5. The Agency conducts an annual debt analysis exercise to estimate the collectability of the amounts outstanding at the end of each year. The Agency estimates that of the 3.7 billion total debt outstanding at March 2007, 1.5 billion is classed as collectable.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what factors account for the recent changes in the number of jobseeker's allowance sanctions or disallowances;
	(2)  what guidance was issued to Job Centre Plus in 2006-07 on the application of sanctions or disallowances; and what effect this has had on numbers of such sanctions or disallowances.

James Plaskitt: In his Budget report of 2006 the Chancellor announced a strengthening and refocusing of jobsearch reviews to make sure jobseeker's allowance is paid only to people who are able to demonstrate they have undertaken their responsibilities to look for work.
	Following that announcement, guidance was issued to Jobcentre Plus staff, stressing the importance of ensuring all contacts with people claiming jobseeker's allowance include a discussion about what they have been doing to find work. Where this raises a doubt about the adequacy of their jobsearch, a Jobcentre Plus decision maker is obliged to consider whether jobseeker's allowance is payable.
	Following the issue of this guidance there has been an increase in associated sanctions and disallowances.

Poverty: Children

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what further steps his Department plans to take to tackle child poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The first Departmental Strategic Objective in our Three Year Business Plan, published on 28 February 2008, and available in the Library, is to reduce the number of children living in poverty. The focus will be on children living in workless households and children benefiting from child maintenance, particularly those living in low income households.
	The Government are supporting families to escape poverty by increasing employment and raising incomes for those who can work; improving parents' access to training in and out of work, and helping lone parents with older children prepare for and actively seek work. The rising trend of child poverty has already been halted; there are 600,000 fewer children living in relative poverty than in 1998-99. A further 300,000 children will be lifted out of poverty as a result of last year's Budget and comprehensive spending review.
	In December 2007, we published 'Ready for Work: full employment in our generation', which sets out the next phase of welfare reform. Lone parents who can work will be required to actively seek work, helped by a flexible system of pre-and in-work support. This will commence for lone parents whose youngest child is 12 or over from October 2008, 10 or over from 2009, and seven or over from 2010. The Government also published the Children's Plan in December 2007 which sets out policies and measures to improve children's life chances and help to alleviate child poverty.
	As a result of changes to the personal tax and benefit system since 1997, by April 2009, families with children in the poorest fifth of the population will be, on average, 4,000 a year better off in real terms.
	The child element of Child Tax Credit will rise by 25 a year above earnings indexation in April 2008, in addition to the Budget 2007 commitment to increase the child element by 150, and it will rise by a further 25 above indexation in April 2010. The child maintenance disregard in the main income-related benefits will be doubled from 10 to 20 by the end of 2008, and doubled again from 20 to 40 in April 2010.
	Compared to 2007-08, by 2010-11 the Government will be investing an additional 2 billion a year in public services to alleviate child poverty and break cycles of deprivation, including spending on child care, schooling in deprived areas, educational attainment, health inequalities, emotional well being, disabled children and school transport.

Transport: Finance

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure that transport funding per head of population in the north-east is increased to the national average.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure across English regions is not directly comparable and a wide range of factors is taken into account in determining how funding should be distributed, including the needs of different areas.
	Investment in transport within the north-east is at record levels. The Department for Transport's spending on road and rail in the region has increased by 80 per cent. over the six years to 2007-08from 165 million to 298 million. 457 million is provisionally allocated to fund major schemes in the north-east in the 10-year period to 2015-16 through the regional funding allocations process. And the recent local transport plan settlement allocated 245 million funding over the next three years for local authorities across the north-east, providing more funding per head of population in 2008-09 than any other region except the south-west.
	The north-east also benefits from improvements to key corridors and services outside of the region. For example, A1 upgrades in Yorkshire will improve north-east connectivity to major cities to the south and improvements on East Coast Main Line and TransPennine Express benefit many regions.

Army: Training

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what improvements have been made since 2002 in the provision of an effective supervisory regime in the Army training establishment; and what was the ratio between numbers of Officers, non-Commissioned Officers and recruits at  (a) Deepcut,  (b) Catterick barracks and  (c) the 10 other largest Army training establishments in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: Since 2002 the key improvements that have been made have been designed to reduce the risk to the welfare and wellbeing of recruits and trainees. These include:
	a revised Supervisory Care Policy that mandates that all commanding officers have a Supervisory Care Directive underpinned by a Commander's Risk Assessment;
	the opening in June 2007 of the Army Recruiting and Training Division Staff Leadership School which is dedicated to instructor training;
	improved training for instructors which, since October 2007, is accredited to meet the National Standard required of those delivering work based training in the Learning and Skills Sector;
	improved care and management of those deemed to be 'at risk'; and,
	a revised 'Under 18' policy, which provides comprehensive guidance to commanding officers as to how the care of personnel under 18 is to be managed.
	The statistical information requested is not held centrally, but is being collated. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Joan Humble:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 12 December 2007, (Official Report, column 609W) about the ratio between Officers, Other Ranks and recruits.
	I am unable to provide the information in the format requested as the data has not been recorded in a consistent format over the period and different elements of the data have not been recorded at all. However, I am able to provide a snapshot of numbers in November each year since 2003 which provides an appreciation of the numbers involved. It should be noted that not all permanent staff posts are training posts and therefore the numbers cannot be taken as representative of supervisory ratios.
	The information is provided in the attached Annex A.
	
		
			  Annex A 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			   Off  ORs  Rec  Off  ORs  Rec  Off  ORs  Rec  Off  ORs  Rec  Off  ORs  Rec 
			 SCHINF (Catterick) 118 607 1,338 111 570 807 116 630 975 120 812 1,270 120 599 1,641 
			 DCLPA (Deepcut)(1) 127 1,130 116 818 128 826 131 846 121 862 
			 ATR(P) 55 269 708 59 274 717 59 274 628 63 286 812 68 278 1,175 
			 RSA 4 49 232 4 55 203 4 55 177 4 55 200 4 55 154 
			 RMAS 156 468 769 124 458 719 130 458 730 132 490 700 103 444 797 
			 RSME-Const Engr Sch 49 281 480 49 281 591 49 281 515 49 281 510 49 281 946 
			 RSME-Cbt Engr Sch 39 281 1141 39 281 633 39 281 577 39 281 687 39 281  
			 AFC(H) 69 218 1,210 67 224 1,207 67 213 1,150 69 226 1,171 65 222 1,130 
			 ARMCEN 37 218 290 39 248 107 34 243 202 37 240 221 37 260 303 
			 ATR(B) 43 195 737 43 185 553 40 179 695 39 197 650 39 183 610 
			 ATR(W) 31 133 416 30 139 318 30 139 423 29 131 475 29 140 569 
			 SAAvN 57 109 197 55 131 168 54 127 150 54 128 150 56 125 133 
			 Key: Off = Officers, ORs = Other Ranks, Rec = Recruits Key: SCHINF = School of Infantry, DCLPA = Defence College of Logistics and Personnel Administration, ATR(P) = Army Training Regiment (Pirbright), RSA = Royal School of Artillery, RMAS = Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, RSME = Royal School of Military Engineering, Const Engr Sch = Construction Engineer School, Cbt Engr Sch = Combat Engineer School, AFC(H) = Army Foundation College (Harrogate), ARMCEN = Armour Centre, ATR(B) = Army Training Regiment (Bassingbourn), ATR(W) = Army Training Regiment (Winchester), SAAvn = School of Army Aviation. (1) Figures provided by DCLPA are for those Officers and Other Ranks in duty of care roles in 25 Training Support Regiment at Deepcut.  Notes: 1. Unless stated otherwise Officers and Other Ranks figures will include Headquarters staff. Not all permanent staff posts are training or duty of care posts, and the numbers given cannot be taken as being representative of supervisory ratios. In addition, there will also be civilian staff working at each establishment, some of whom will have direct training roles. 2. The figures show the ratios as at November in each year. Recruit numbers fluctuate over the course of a year. 3. Many of these training establishments will also provide career training to members of the Field Army. The Recruit figures shown only include those under basic training (phase 1) or trade training (phase 2).

Ex-servicemen: Employment Schemes

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider introducing a scheme to assist veterans leaving the armed forces to employment on a similar model to the US authorities, Troops to Teachers programme.

Derek Twigg: Currently, some 68 service leavers a year already enter a teaching career. Additionally, as a result of an approach by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, the MOD has been working for the past year, initially with the trust but latterly with the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), on a scheme to encourage more service leavers to take up a career in secondary level specialist teaching in science, maths and IT subjects as a contribution to addressing the national shortage in secondary level STEM subject teachers. Apart from advertising through the Career Transition Partnership opportunities for individuals to consider teaching and outlining the existing routes into the profession, we are looking to develop routes to attract suitable service leavers to become teachers who do not already possess the academic qualifications normally necessary to enter teacher training. This work is a still at an early stage.
	The MOD is an active participant in the recently launched wider DCSF Transition to Teaching initiative to encourage career changers into the teaching profession, and is represented on the Steering Committee alongside such blue chip employers as IBM, KPMG, Thales, Astra Zenica and Lockheed Martin Aerospace. Most service leavers are very successful in securing civilian employment: about 95 per cent. of those using the Career Transition Partnership who wish to continue to work are in new careers within six months of discharge from the armed forces.
	In view of the initiatives already in hand, the Department has no plans to adopt the US Troops to Teachers programme.

Legislative Competence: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library copies of correspondence between his Department and  (a) the National Assembly for Wales and  (b) Welsh Assembly Government Ministers between 1 May 2007 and 1 February 2008 relating to the legislative procedure for Wales including legislative competence orders; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: We have had frequent exchanges with both the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Assembly Government Ministers about the new legislative arrangements for Wales. We are committed to making this process work and will continue to have discussions with all relevant parties. To make such correspondence available in the Library restrict our ability to conduct business effectively.

Stamp Duties: Carbon Emissions

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homes had claimed the zero rate of stamp duty applicable to zero-carbon homes as of 7 March 2008.

Angela Eagle: Of those transactions for which a stamp duty land tax certificate was issued in between 1 October 2007 and 29 February 2008, nine transactions claimed the stamp duty land tax relief for new zero-carbon homes. No data currently exists for March.
	The tax relief will help kick-start the market for new highly efficient technologies in homes, both for the fabric of the building and in the use of microgeneration, and sets a gold standard for green homes.
	We expect the numbers of qualifying transactions to rise as more properties eligible to claim the relief go on the market. For example, in December 2007 the Government announced details of 200 new homes to be built to a zero-carbon standard in Hanham Hall, near Bristol. The media release can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/611694
	The Government are committed to conducting an interim review of the relief in 2010 which will examine the effectiveness of the relief in stimulating the innovation necessary to ensure that all new homes are built to a zero-carbon standard from 2016.

Community Care

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) adults with learning disabilities,  (b) older people,  (c) adults with physical disabilities and  (d) adults with mental health problems received continuing care per 50,000 of population in each primary care trust area in England in each quarter of 2007.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected by the Department. The Department collects information on the number of people receiving continuing health care. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 22 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1062-68W, to the hon. Member for Leeds, North-West (Greg Mulholland).

Palliative Care: Lancashire

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data is used by commissioners to determine the need for specialist, palliative care and neurological care in South Ribble; and whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidance on supportive and palliative care has been fully implemented in South Ribble.

Ivan Lewis: It is for individual primary care trusts (PCTs), including Central Lancashire PCT, within the national health service to commission services for their resident population, including end of life care and neurological care, based on an assessment of local needs and priorities. Strategic health authorities are responsible for monitoring PCTs to ensure they are effective and efficient.
	The NHS operating framework for 2007-08 asked PCTs, working with local authorities, to undertake a baseline review of their end of life care services. These will allow local commissioners to assess current services, identify gaps and obtain a much clearer view of local need, which will inform local commissioning.
	Regarding neurological care, the information strategy published alongside the National Service Framework for Long-term (Neurological) Conditions outlines commissioners' information requirements and a series of local and national actions designed to meet those needs. A copy of the framework is available in the Library.

Palliative Care: Norwich

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data is used by commissioners to determine the level of need for specialist palliative and neurological care in Norwich North.

Ivan Lewis: It is for individual primary care trusts (PCTs), including Norfolk PCT, within the national health service to commission services for their resident population, including end of life care and neurological care, based on an assessment of local needs and priorities. Strategic health authorities are responsible for monitoring PCTs to ensure they are effective and efficient.
	The NHS operating framework for 2007-08 asked PCTs, working with local authorities, to undertake a baseline review of their end of life care services. These will allow local commissioners to assess current services, identify gaps and obtain a much clearer view of local need, which will inform local commissioning.
	Regarding neurological care, the information strategy published alongside the 'National Service Framework for Long-term (Neurological) Conditions' outlines commissioners' information requirements and a series of local and national actions designed to meet those needs. A copy of the framework is available in the Library.

Palliative Care: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data is used by commissioners to determine the need for specialist palliative and neurological care in Peterborough.

Ivan Lewis: It is for individual primary care trusts (PCTs), including Peterborough PCT, within the national health service to commission services for their resident population, including end of life care and neurological care, based on an assessment of local needs and priorities. Strategic health authorities are responsible for monitoring PCTs to ensure they are effective and efficient.
	The NHS operating framework for 2007-08 asked PCTs, working with local authorities, to undertake a baseline review of their end of life care services. These will allow local commissioners to assess current services, identify gaps and obtain a much clearer view of local need, which will inform local commissioning.
	Regarding neurological care, the information strategy published alongside the 'National Service Framework for Long-term (Neurological) Conditions' outlines commissioners' information requirements and a series of local and national actions designed to meet those needs. A copy of this document is available in the Library.

Departmental Regulatory Impact Assessments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many regulatory impact assessments his Department has conducted in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: Information on the final regulatory impact assessments published between 1 January and 30 June 2007 can be found in Command Paper 7297, available at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm72/7297/7297.pdf
	For the then Department of Trade and Industry, 23 have been listed.
	The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was created on 28 June 2007. Departments including BERR are in the process of identifying the final regulatory impact assessments published between 1 July and 31 December 2007.
	From April 2008, all final impact assessment will be published on a central website.

Israel Britain Business Council: Finance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was allocated by his Department to the Israel Britain Business Council in each year since the Council's establishment; whether there are restrictions on the use of these funds; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) allocates 25,000 annually for the activities of the Israel-Britain Business Council (IBBC). This funding supports UKTI's efforts to increase trade and investment with Israel. UKTI officials work closely with both the Director of the IBBC and other UK members, to try to ensure a good fit between the activities of the Business Council and UKTI's strategic priorities for business with Israel including financial services, health care and high technology sectors.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prevalence of the kidnapping of foreign workers in Afghanistan; what impact this has on diplomatic and Department for International Development activities in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Kidnapping is considered a high threat throughout Afghanistan, with a number of kidnappings in the country in the past 12 months.
	Our diplomatic and development staff are protected as much as possible by robust security measures. All threats, including kidnap, are constantly reviewed to ensure our staff have appropriate levels of protection. We try to strike a balance that allows staff to carry out useful work in Afghanistan, while making reasonable provision against the risk of kidnap and other security threats.

Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received on the alleged detention of members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt; what assessment his Department has made of the possible effect this may have on the forthcoming municipal elections in Egypt; what discussions  (a) he,  (b) his officials and  (c) UK representatives in Cairo have had with the Government of Egypt on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We are aware of the recent arrests of Muslim Brotherhood members. While my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not raised this issue, UK officials raised the Government's concerns about the arrests with the Egyptian embassy on 27 February 2008. We regularly raise human rights issues with the Egyptian Governmentthrough officials in London and Cairo. My hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East (Dr. Howells) raised a number of the Government's human rights concerns directly with the visiting Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament on 21 January 2008. He also looks forward to these issues being discussed at the forthcoming EU-Egypt political sub-committee established under the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan.
	We encourage the Egyptian authorities to ensure that the forthcoming municipal elections are conducted freely, fairly and transparently.

Gaza: Armed Conflict

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Egyptian government on the smuggling of bomb and rocket making equipment into Gaza.

Meg Munn: Arms smuggling into Gaza remains a great concern. The Quadrilateral Committee, which consists of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and the US, has been working closely to address the issue of smuggling and border control. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met his Egyptian counterpart, Aboul Gheit, in November 2007 and spoke to him by phone on 19 February to discuss the situation in Gaza.

Gaza: Armed Conflict

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Egyptian government on the use of tunnels to smuggle equipment and personnel into Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Arms smuggling into Gaza remains a great concern. The Quadrilateral Committee, which consists of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and the US, has been working closely to address the issue of smuggling and border control. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Egyptian counterpart, Aboul Gheit, on 19 February 2008 to discuss the situation in Gaza.

Heathrow Airport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his Written Ministerial Statement of 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 105WS, on Heathrow and Gatwick (VIP facilities), what the public subsidy is expected to be in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Meg Munn: Final accounts for 2007-08 are not yet available. We anticipate expenditure of 2.4 million on the VIP suites at London Heathrow and the one facility at London Gatwick. We expect to recover about 1.25 million from diplomatic missions for their private use of these facilities.
	On 31 March 2008, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) financial support and operational role in the terminal suites at Heathrow and Gatwick will end. From 1 April BAA will be responsible for covering 100 per cent. of the operating costs and invoicing all customers directly, including diplomatic missions and the FCO. For financial year 2008-09, we have estimated we will need 50,000 to meet the suite costs of those VIPs whom we officially invite to the UK.
	The FCO will maintain operational control and financial interest in the royal suite at Heathrow. To cover these costs we have a budget of 0.54 million of which we expect to recover at least 90 per cent. as full economic recovery charges for private use of this facility by diplomatic missions.

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Serbia's co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the detection and arrest of fugitive indictees.

David Miliband: The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) made an assessment in June 2007 which highlighted some improvement in the level of co-operation from Serbia, such as the establishment of a National Security Council; better access to documents requested by the Prosecutor's office; and co-ordinated action resulting in the arrests of General Tolimir and Vlastimir Dordevic in 2007. Since then, the Serbian government has also offered a 1 million reward for information leading to the capture of Ratko Mladic.
	However, the ICTY Chief Prosecutor's latest assessment, delivered in December 2007, was that Serbia had failed to build on this initial progress and was not fully co-operating with the Tribunal. We agree that sustained improvements in co-operation from the Serbian authorities together with an increased political commitment are needed in order to locate the remaining fugitive indictees, particularly Mladic and Karadzic. The Government continue to deliver this message to the Serbian government at every opportunity.

Kenya: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department has  (a) offered and  (b) provided to help resolve the situation in Kenya; what his most recent assessment of the political situation in Kenya is; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UK, together with Kenya's other international partners, has strongly supported the mediation mission led by Kofi Annan to broker a power-sharing agreement between President Kibaki and Raila Odinga. We welcome the signing of an agreement by the two sides on 28 February. We consider that it provides a strong foundation on which to bring Kenya back to the path of prosperity, democracy and stability. The imperative is for Kenya's leaders to implement the agreement in full and to build up a sense of national reconciliation. We look forward to working with the new coalition government, once it has been formed.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take steps at the United Nations in response to the rejection by the President of the Palestinian Authority of the description of Israel as a Jewish state; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UK has no plans to respond at the UN to the Palestinian President's recent comments on the description of Israel as a Jewish state. The UK is committed to a two state solution.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take steps at the United Nations in response to the recent comments by the President of the Palestinian Authority on the recognition by Hamas of the State of Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The UK has no plans to respond at the UN. Our policy towards Hamas has not changed. We do not have contact with Hamas. The key to making progress is to swiftly resume negotiations. The policy of the Quartet on talks with Hamas is based on its three principles: recognition of Israel, acceptance of previous agreements and renunciation of violence. These principles remain the fundamental conditions for a viable peace process. We hope that Hamas will accept the principles and grasp the opportunity for dialogue and progress. However a political dialogue is impossible as long as one party is dedicated to violence and the destruction of the other.

Nepal: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions  (a) he,  (b) his officials and  (c) UK representatives in Kathmandu have had with (i) the Government and (ii) the royal family of Nepal on (A) the December 2007 vote to abolish the monarchy, (B) possible UK assistance for the elections in April 2008 and (C) the position of the Madhesi ethnic group; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The question of the future of the monarchy in Nepal is one which can only be decided by the people of Nepal themselves. The UK has had no discussions with the Government of Nepal on the December 2007 agreement to determine the process for declaring Nepal a republic. Furthermore, the UK has had no discussions with the Nepalese Royal family on any of the issues identified by the hon. Member in his question.
	The UK has supported the electoral process, including through co-funding the Election Commission and supporting education programmes aimed at raising awareness of a Constituent Assembly. We have maintained a comprehensive dialogue with the Government of Nepal and all political parties. I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, Kim Howells, gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann), on 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2358W.
	The question of Madhesi rights and engagement in the political process has risen sharply up the agenda through the last year following significant disturbances and violent protests across the Terai region. The UK has had a wide-ranging dialogue with the Government of Nepal and officials representing Madhesi parties. I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, Kim Howells, gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Glenrothes (Mr. MacDougall) on 4 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 2358-9W.

Nepal: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the  (a) security situation and  (b) political stability of Nepal following the 2006 peace accord; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Notwithstanding the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in November 2006, Nepal has continued to see violence, much of which stems from intimidation, abductions and extortion, carried out by groups affiliated to the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN(M)). In recent months, widespread violence has resulted in over 170 deaths in the Terai, the southern plains bordering India. The UK has urged the Government of Nepal and all political parties to work towards improving public security. In addition, we have offered assistance on policing and judicial reform issues and encouraged greater recognition of the rule of law.
	The CPA cleared the way for a political settlement which saw the formation of an interim parliament and an interim government which included Ministers from CPN(M). Although there has been friction, not least when CPN(M) Ministers left government briefly in 2007, and more recently during negotiations between the Government of Nepal and groups representing the Madhes, the UK hopes elections to a Constituent Assembly will be able to take place on 10 April 2008.

Serbia: Human Rights

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received representations from Human Rights Watch on the reported threats and harassment against Ms Natasa Kandic, the head of the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade, and other human rights activists in Serbia; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We have received no representations from Human Rights Watch.
	We are following closely and with concern the threats and harassment experienced by the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade and other non-governmental organisations.
	On 29 February the EU made formal representations to the Serbian government in Belgrade, in which it expressed concern to the Serbian government about the pressure currently exerted on some of the Serbian media and non-governmental organisations.

Serbia: Human Rights

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to his Serbian counterpart on observing the safety and human rights of Ms Natasa Kandic, the head of the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade, and other human rights activists in Serbia.

David Miliband: We deplore threats made against individuals and non-governmental organisations in Serbia and the attack on 21 February against the premises of the Humanitarian Law Centre in Belgrade, which Ms Kandic heads.
	On 29 February the EU made formal representations to the Serbian government in Belgrade, in which it expressed concern to the Serbian government about the pressure currently exerted on some of the Serbian media and non-governmental organisations.

South America: Foreign Relations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) his officials and  (c) UK representatives in (i) Caracas, (ii) Bogota and (iii) Quito have had with (A) the government of and (B) others in (1) Venezuela, (2) Colombia and (3) Ecuador on (x) the killing of Raul Reyes and (y) relations between the three countries; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions  (a) he,  (b) his officials and  (c) UK representatives in Paris have had with the French Government on relations between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions  (a) he,  (b) his officials and  (c) UK representative staff have had with the European Commission on the EU response to relations between Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what discussions  (a) he,  (b) his officials and  (c) UK representatives in Washington D.C. have had with the US Government on relations between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what discussions  (a) he,  (b) his officials and  (c) UK representatives in Brasilia have had with the Government of Brazil on relations between Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia; whether assistance was offered to Brazil and its South American partners to assist in resolving the regional situation; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We are holding meetings with representatives of the three Governments concerned. We are urging all parties to show restraint and to follow a diplomatic process to ease current tensions. We fully supported the European Union declaration of 5 March, which commented
	The European Union is concerned about the growing tension and the deployment of armed forces between Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. It urges all parties involved to show restraint and to avoid any further escalation of the current situation.
	The European Union encourages all countries involved to seek, through dialogue, a political solution.
	We are monitoring events closely and are discussing the situation with partners in the European Union, European Commission, US and Latin America, including Brazil. We have not discussed specific offers of assistance to Brazil and its South American partners in resolving tensions.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions  (a) he,  (b) his officials and  (c) UK representatives in Khartoum have had with the Government of Sudan on Sudanese army operations in Darfur since the beginning of 2008; what assessment his Department has made of such operations; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We have had extensive contacts with the Government of Sudan to discuss the situation in Darfur, including the issue of fighting in West Darfur between Government and rebel forces. My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for International Development, in a joint statement of 27 February, noted the dangerous wider consequences of such conflict and called for an immediate end to fighting. We have delivered the same message, and emphasised the Government of Sudan's responsibility to protect civilians, in other contacts including by my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, during his visit to Sudan on 28 to 31 January, in subsequent talks in Khartoum through our ambassador, and with EU partners at the 18 February General Affairs and External Relations Council. We continue to urge all parties including rebel movements to commit to a ceasefire and engage fully in a political process aimed at establishing a lasting peace in Darfur.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Southern Sudan's President on fighting in Abyei Province.

Meg Munn: My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, the right hon. Lord Malloch-Brown, discussed progress on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including instability in Abyei, with the President of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, in Juba on 29 January, and subsequently with Sudanese leaders, including President Bashir, in Khartoum and Addis Ababa later that week. We continue to raise these issues in contacts with northern and southern Sudanese leaders. Sir Derek Plumbly will pursue all aspects of CPA implementation in his role as Chair of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission for the CPA.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of UN claims that the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) is blocking humanitarian access to the Jabel Moun area of Darfur; what reports his Department has received on possible negotiations between the JEM and the Government of Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: While we understand humanitarian agencies are still unable to access the Jebel Moun area, we cannot confirm whether they are barred at the behest of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) or because of continuing fighting between JEM forces and the Sudanese armed forces. We are not aware of negotiations between JEM and the Government of Sudan but mediators from the African Union and the UN are talking to rebel groups in and outside Darfur, including JEM, to press them to end hostilities and agree on common platforms for negotiations with the Government of Sudan.
	My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for International Development, in a joint statement of 27 February, called on all parties to stop the violence; to allow immediate humanitarian access; to protect civilians; and to facilitate the deployment of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the Darfur peace process takes into account the special wants and needs of women and girls, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Meg Munn: The UK has given 1 million to the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation which consults civil society on the Darfur peace process including women's groups and non-governmental organisations supporting women's rights.
	The UK has funded Femmes Africa Solidarit (FAS) to support women's peace initiatives in Darfur, Juba and Khartoum. FAS organised the African Women's Consultation on Darfur at the end of January, where about 100 women gathered to discuss the situation in Darfur and Sudan. An Interim Steering Committee will implement the new Action Plan for Peace. FAS is sponsoring an event during the Human Rights Council (3 to 28 March), and will be offering training on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and legal instruments supporting women's issues. FAS plans further consultation and training events in Darfur throughout the year.
	The UK funds governance projects in Sudan which include training the police, judiciary and prison officers in issues related to gender-based violence, and support to local non-governmental organisations for workshops and seminars on peace-building initiatives, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and media campaigns against gender-based violence.
	The UK also contributes 60 per cent. of the budget of the UN's Common Humanitarian Fund which supports women's rights projects in Sudan, including action on sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur and Southern Sudan and strengthening civil society organisations to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and promote women's leadership role in society.

Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is taking to ensure that the UNAMID peacekeeping force in Darfur operates in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325, with particular reference to its calls for  (a) more women to be appointed to peacekeeping operations,  (b) peacekeepers to be trained in gender issues and  (c) women and girls to be provided with extra protection in war zones.

Meg Munn: The UN set a target that women constitute 40 per cent. of the police component of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The training conference in Accra in February reconfirmed that gender issues will be a significant part of the UNAMID pre-deployment training curriculum. UNAMID is already conducting firewood patrols that provide protection to internally displaced persons gathering wood (mainly women).
	In Sudan, our embassy in Khartoum has supported a number of conflict mitigation and peace building initiatives, which have actively encouraged women to lead on reconciliation efforts in line with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 of October 2000. The UK also funds a number of projects in Sudan training the police, judiciary and prison officers in issues related to gender-based violence.
	The UK leads at the UN on the implementation of UNSCR 1325. We pushed for the most recent Presidential Statement on UNSCR 1325, of October 2007, to call for increased reporting on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls. The UK is co-sponsoring a Wilton Park conference for Chief-of-Staff-level military personnel from troop contributing countries to discuss practical tactics that the military can employ to protect women from violence.

Uganda: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of peace between the government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA); and what reports he has received of the likely request of the LRA leadership for immunity from prosecutions for war crimes.

Meg Munn: We welcome the progress made by the government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and are encouraged by reports that the two sides will sign a final peace agreement by the end of the month. We note that in the recent peace agreement, the LRA leadership has asked the government of Uganda to request a deferral of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants and establish national mechanisms to try those alleged to have committed crimes as an alternative to the ICC. We believe that justice is an essential part of a sustainable peace and it is vital that those responsible for the terrible crimes committed during the conflict in northern Uganda are held to account.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his  (a) EU and  (b) African counterparts on the need for international pressure on Zimbabwe to observe international standards in the 29 March elections in that country; and what action has been agreed.

Meg Munn: holding answer 10 March 2008
	We are very concerned that the forthcoming Zimbabwean elections will not be conducted in free and fair circumstances. My hon. Friend the Minister for Europe, Mr. Jim Murphy, discussed the importance of Zimbabwean elections meeting international standards with his EU counterparts on 10 March 2008 at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council. Our high commissions and embassies in the region are in regular contact with members of the Southern African Development Community. They are urging them to ensure the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe meet international standards, including the Southern African Development Community guidelines and principles on elections.

Developing Countries: Budgetary Support

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's provision of direct budgetary support in developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Independent evaluations of the impact of budget support have demonstrated that, in the right circumstances, budget support has:
	strengthened countries' public financial management systems;
	improved the efficiency of their public expenditure; and
	increased the services provided by partner governments, particularly in health and education.

HIV/AIDS

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in the strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in developing countries.

Gillian Merron: The UK Government are making good progress in taking forward the strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in developing countries. In particular, we have narrowed the funding gap, we strengthened political leadership, we pushed for closer co-ordination between aid agencies, and we invested in new medicines and preventative technologies.

Kenya

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the assistance needed by Kenya to deal with the aftermath of the post-election violence.

Gillian Merron: A consolidated assessment of assistance needed is being co-ordinated through the Donor Co-ordination Group, drawing on sector assessments from private sector groups and Government Ministries.
	Key priorities already identified include humanitarian assistance for the internally displaced, enhancing food security by ensuring access to farm inputs to get fields planted for the long-rains in April, and financial resources for the micro and small enterprise sector.

Departmental Official Cars

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what make and model of car  (a) he and  (b) each Minister in his Department selected as their official ministerial car; and what criteria were applied when making the decision in each case.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Jim Fitzpatrick) on 10 March 2008,  Official Report, column 8W.

Developing Countries

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department on development awareness and community engagement; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Raising awareness of global poverty and enabling UK communities to get involved in development is a priority for the Department for International Development (DFID). There are an increasing number of relevant initiatives under way including:
	1. Development Educationequipping the formal education sector to teach global issues in the classroom more effectively.
	2. The DFID Global School Partnerships programmelinking schools in the UK with partners in developing countries.
	3. Volunteering schemesin particular to enable young people and people from Diaspora communities in the UK to volunteer overseas.
	4. Outreach and events activity such as sponsorship of the 2007 World Scout Jamboree, the Greenbelt Festival and the Global Student Forum. DFID Ministers are also engaged in a programme of visits across the UK to raise awareness of development.
	5. A Development Awareness Fund (DAF) which provides funding to more than 70 projects around the UK targeting different audiences.

Nepal: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian situation in Nepal following the 2006 peace accord; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID), like other international donors, monitors the humanitarian situation in Nepal primarily through the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). UNOCHA provides leadership to and co-ordination of the international humanitarian community, and works with DFID and other international bodies to monitor and respond to emerging and ongoing humanitarian crises.
	In this role, UNOCHA has conducted continuous assessments of the humanitarian situation in Nepal following the 2006 peace accord. Detail of the most recent national assessment can be found in the UN Common Appeal for Nepal 2008:
	http://ochaonline.un.org/cap2005/webpage.asp?Page=1649
	This appeal provides a framework for a co-ordinated international response to humanitarian issues in Nepal. The Appeal focuses on issues of particular importance in the short term, including food security, health, displacement, disaster preparedness, and protection. DFID is currently examining the appeal document to assess which elements it might support, and will continue to monitor the humanitarian situation jointly with UNOCHA and other partners.

Nepal: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian impact of  (a) the Madhesi movement for increased autonomy and  (b) conflict between the government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and other rebel forces; what assistance his Department is providing to Nepal; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID), like other international donors, monitors the humanitarian situation in Nepal primarily through the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). UNOCHA provides leadership to and co-ordination of the international humanitarian community, and works with DFID and other international bodies to monitor and respond to emerging and ongoing humanitarian crises.
	In this role, UNOCHA has conducted continuous assessments of the humanitarian impact of both the recent Madhesi movement for increased autonomy in the south of Nepal and of the 10 year conflict between the government and Maoist forces. Detail of these assessments can be found in the UN Common Appeal for Nepal 2008:
	http://ochaonline.un.org/cap2005/webpage.asp?Paqe=1649
	In the past financial year DFID has provided 53 million of support to Nepal, making it the largest bilateral donor to the country. This funding supports the implementation of the peace process (including the elections); support to improved governance, including in public financial management; provision of essential services like health and education, road building and other infrastructure, and support to improved livelihoods and greater economic opportunity for poor people.

Driving Under Influence: Alcoholic Drinks

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) arrests,  (b) prosecutions and  (c) convictions there were for drink driving in (i) Lancashire and (ii) England in each year since 2000.

Maria Eagle: The arrests collection held by my Department covers persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences), by main offence group (e.g. violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, theft and handling stolen goods, etc) and police force area within England and Wales. Information on summary offences are non-notifiable and as a result are not covered by the collection.
	Available information, held on prosecutions and findings of guilt for offences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs for the years 2000 to 2005 (latest available) is provided in the following tables. 2006 data will be available later this year.
	The data provided covers both drink and drugs offences combined, as volumes of prosecutions and convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs cannot be accurately established:
	
		
			  Prosecutions at magistrate courts and findings of guilt at all courts for offences of driving etc after consuming alcohol or taking drugs( 1) , within Lancashire police force area, and England, 2000-05 
			  Number of offences 
			   2000  2001  2002 
			   Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Lancashire police force 2,879 2,564 2,570 2,304 2,928 2,599 
			 England 89,329 79,671 89,172 78,684 95,275 84,456 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			   Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Lancashire police force 3,014 2,652 3,019 2,706 2,995 2,723 
			 England 98,522 87,392 100,048 89,904 96,587 87,482 
			 (1 )Data provided covers summary offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs (which cannot be reliably distinguished separately).  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken lo ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Poaching

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) arrests,  (b) prosecutions and  (c) convictions there were for poaching in (i) Lancashire and (ii) England in each year since 2000.

Maria Eagle: The arrests collection held by my Department covers persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, Summary offences concerning poaching are non-notifiable and as a result are not covered by the collection.
	Data showing the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty of poaching in Lancashire and England are in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for poaching in Lancashire and England,  2000 to 2006 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003 
			   Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Lancashire police force 23 20 11 8 16 14 9 7 
			 England 298 220 225 186 319 242 207 140 
		
	
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006 
			   Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Lancashire police force 29 22 21 1 l 2 
			 England 299 233 455 370 75 48 
			  Notes: 1 These data are on the principal offence basis. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 The statutes used are as follows: Night Poaching Act 1823 s1, Night Poaching Act 1844 s1, Game Act 1831 s30-32, Poaching Preventions Act 1862 s2 and Deer Act 1991.  Source: RDS OCJR Ministry of Justice

Prisoners Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sentenced prisoners in England and Wales are on the  (a) basic,  (b) standard and  (c) enhanced privilege level of the incentives and earned privileges scheme.

Jack Straw: The recorded data for the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme (IEPS) does not differentiate between sentenced and unsentenced prisoners and is recorded on a separate system. It shows a shortfall against the published population data and is only used to provide indicators for monitoring, at a national level, the operation of the system.
	The data provided by this system is set out in the following table. The figures are for the average numbers on each level over a period of 10 months to January 2008.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Basic level 1,271 1.5 
			 Standard level 45,437 58.5 
			 Enhanced level 31,077 40

Prisoners Release

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will commission research to identify how many ex-prisoners of working age were in sustained work  (a) three,  (b) six and  (c) 12 months after being released from prison in each year since 1992.

Jack Straw: Research which has the purpose of that asked in my right hon. Friend's question is already in hand.
	The Ministry of Justice has commissioned three cohort studies to identify and assess offenders' needs and risks, identify what interventions they receive, and how these interventions are associated with a range of outcomes, including employment. The studies concern prisoners, offenders serving community sentences and juveniles. The prison cohort study, Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR), follows the progress of 4,000 newly sentenced prisoners during their sentence and back into the community. In addition to prisoners' self-reported employment and training after release, the study will have access to benefits and tax records held by DWP (DWP is financial stakeholder in the study). The first results from this study, describing the presenting problems and needs of prisoners, are scheduled for publication in April 2008.
	Also in April, Ministry of Justice will be publishing results from an analysis of survey data from 4,898 sentenced prisoners nearing release which was combined with criminal history and reoffending information from the Police National Computer. The study assesses the links between prisoners' circumstances on release (in areas such as education, training, employment, accommodation and family ties), interventions attended in prisons, and reoffending one year after discharge.
	I am happy to arrange for my right hon. Friend to discuss his proposals with the relevant officials in my Department.

Prisoners: Suicide

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of the prison population  (a) attempted and  (b) committed suicide in (i) English and (ii) Welsh prisons between 2000 and 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many young males  (a) attempted and  (b) committed suicide in each Welsh prison in each year between 2000 and 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: There is no definition of what constitutes an attempted suicide as it is not possible to measure suicidal intent.
	The available figures express the proportion as a rate of self-inflicted deaths per 100,000 prisoners for the period 2000-07. There are no female or high security prisons in Wales and many Welsh male prisoners are held in prisons in England.
	
		
			  Proportion as rate  Average 2000-07 
			 SIDs(1) rate/100,000(2): England 115.9 
			 SIDs(1) rate/100,000(2): Wales 110.9 
			 Overall SIDs(1) rate/100,000 115.7 
			 (1) The Prison Service/NOMS definition of self-inflicted deaths is broader than the legal definition of suicide and includes all deaths where it appears that a prisoner has acted specifically to take their own life. This inclusive approach is used in part because inquest verdicts are often not available for some years after a death (some 20 per cent. of these deaths will not receive a suicide or open verdict at inquest). Annual numbers may change slightly from time to time as inquest verdicts and other information become available. (2) Based on an average of each years month end population figures. 
		
	
	There were four self-inflicted deaths among young males (under 21) in Welsh prisons between 2000 and 2007: two in 2001, one in 2002 and one in 2006; all occurred at Parc which is the only young offender institution in Wales.

Prisons

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what food allowances for inmates of contracted-out prisons are stipulated within the relevant contract; what these are for each prison; and how much was paid to privately-run prisons for food for inmates in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The nature of the PFI contracts means that we monitor price against service delivery to ensure compliance with the contract and assure value for money, but we do not measure a fixed level of cost for the provision of food for prisoners and these data are not specifically reported or monitored as part of the contract.

Prisons

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what measures his Department is considering in order to provide additional prisoner accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Government have committed resources to a major expansion of prison capacity. It is intended that we achieve an overall net capacity of just over 96,000 places by 2014. It has already created around 20,000 places since 1997.

Sentencing: Rape

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those convicted of rape in each police authority area were given  (a) an immediate custodial sentence,  (b) a community sentence,  (c) a fine,  (d) a conditional discharge and  (e) an absolute discharge in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The number of persons convicted of rape at all courts, and given  (a) an immediate custodial sentence,  (b) a community sentence,  (c) a fine,  (d) a conditional discharge and  (e) an absolute discharge, in England and Wales by Police force area for the years 2002 to 2006 can be viewed in the following tables.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  Number of persons found guilty of rape at all courts who were given immediate custody, community sentence, a fine, conditional discharge, or absolute discharge, in England and Wales by police force area for the year 2002( 1,2,3,4,5) 
			  2002 
			Result 
			  Force  Found guilty  Absolute discharge  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset 12 0 0 0 1 11 
			 Bedfordshire 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Cheshire 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Cumbria 4 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Derbyshire 7 0 0 0 1 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15 0 0 0 0 15 
			 Dorset 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Durham 4 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Essex 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Gloucestershire 2 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Greater Manchester 32 0 0 0 0 32 
			 Hampshire 21 0 0 0 0 21 
			 Hertfordshire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Humberside 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 Kent 16 0 0 0 0 16 
			 Lancashire 14 0 0 0 0 14 
			 Leicestershire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Lincolnshire 9 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Merseyside 15 0 0 0 0 15 
			 Metropolitan Police 96 1 0 1 2 90 
			 Norfolk 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 North Yorkshire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Northamptonshire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Northumbria 22 0 0 0 0 22 
			 Nottinghamshire 13 0 0 0 0 13 
			 South Yorkshire 17 0 0 0 0 17 
			 Staffordshire 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Suffolk 7 0 0 0 0 7 
			 Surrey 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Sussex 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Thames Valley 15 0 0 0 0 15 
			 Warwickshire 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 West Mercia 12 0 0 0 0 12 
			 West Midlands 27 0 0 0 0 27 
			 West Yorkshire 15 0 0 0 0 15 
			 Wiltshire 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Gwent 16 0 0 0 0 16 
			 North Wales 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 South Wales 20 0 0 0 1 18 
			 Total (England and Wales) 548 1 0 1 5 537 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statute: The Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sections 1, and 5. (4) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004, (5) The number of defendants sentenced for an offence during a year does not always equal the number found guilty, as a defendant may be sentenced for an offence in a different year to the year they are found guilty of that offence.  Source: Court Proceedings Database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of persons found guilty of rape at all courts who were given immediate custody, community sentence, a fine, conditional discharge, or absolute discharge, in England and Wales by police force area for the year 2003( 1,2,3,4,5) 
			  2003 
			Result 
			  Force  Found guilty  Absolute discharge  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset 20 0 0 0 1 19 
			 Bedfordshire 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Cheshire 10 0 0 0 0 10 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 Cumbria 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Derbyshire 13 0 0 0 0 13 
			 Devon and Cornwall 14 0 0 0 0 14 
			 Dorset 3 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Durham 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Essex 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Gloucestershire 7 0 0 0 0 7 
			 Greater Manchester 31 0 0 0 0 30 
			 Hampshire 10 0 0 0 0 10 
			 Hertfordshire 10 0 0 0 0 10 
			 Humberside 10 0 0 0 0 10 
			 Kent 7 0 0 0 0 7 
			 Lancashire 20 0 0 0 0 19 
			 Leicestershire 15 0 0 0 0 15 
			 Lincolnshire 4 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Merseyside 13 0 0 0 0 13 
			 Metropolitan Police 113 0 0 0 0 112 
			 Norfolk 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 North Yorkshire 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Northamptonshire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Northumbria 20 0 0 0 0 20 
			 Nottinghamshire 13 0 0 0 0 13 
			 South Yorkshire 19 0 0 0 0 19 
			 Staffordshire 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 Suffolk 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Surrey 5 0 0 0 0 C 
			 Sussex 17 0 0 0 0 16 
			 Thames Valley 12 0 0 0 0 12 
			 Warwickshire 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 West Mercia 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 West Midlands 52 0 0 0 2 48 
			 West Yorkshire 30 1 0 0 3 25 
			 Wiltshire 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Gwent 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 North Wales 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 South Wales 17 0 0 0 0 17 
			 Total (England and Wales) 583 1 0 0 7 568 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statute: The Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sections 1, and 5. (4) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004. (5) The number of defendants sentenced for an offence during a year does not always equal the number found guilty, as a defendant may be sentenced for an offence in a different year to the year they are found guilty of that offence.  Source: Court Proceedings Database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of persons found guilty of rape at all courts who were given immediate custody, community sentence, a fine, conditional discharge, or absolute discharge, in England and Wales by police force area for the year 2004( 1,2,3,4,5) 
			  2004 
			Result 
			  Force  Found guilty  Absolute discharge  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset 22 0 0 0 1 21 
			 Bedfordshire 12 0 0 0 0 12 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Cheshire 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 10 0 0 0 1 9 
			 Cumbria 10 0 0 0 1 9 
			 Derbyshire 19 0 0 0 0 19 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15 0 0 0 1 14 
			 Dorset 4 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Durham 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Essex 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 27 0 0 0 0 27 
			 Hampshire 14 0 0 0 0 12 
			 Hertfordshire 11 0 0 0 1 10 
			 Humberside 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Kent 10 0 0 0 0 10 
			 Lancashire 16 0 0 0 0 16 
			 Leicestershire 12 0 0 0 0 12 
			 Lincolnshire 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Merseyside 20 0 0 0 0 20 
			 Metropolitan Police 103 0 0 0 0 101 
			 Norfolk 9 0 0 0 0 9 
			 North Yorkshire 12 0 0 0 1 11 
			 Northamptonshire 14 1 0 0 1 12 
			 Northumbria 18 0 1 0 1 16 
			 Nottinghamshire 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 South Yorkshire 23 0 0 0 0 23 
			 Staffordshire 16 0 0 0 0 16 
			 Suffolk 3 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Surrey 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Sussex 12 0 0 0 0 12 
			 Thames Valley 16 0 0 0 0 16 
			 Warwickshire 3 0 0 0 0 3 
			 West Mercia 10 0 0 0 0 10 
			 West Midlands 51 0 0 0 3 48 
			 West Yorkshire 48 0 0 0 1 47 
			 Wiltshire 4 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Gwent 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 North Wales 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 South Wales 23 0 1 0 1 21 
			 Total (England and Wales) 644 1 2 0 13 624 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statute: The Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sections 1, and 5. (4) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004. (5) The number of defendants sentenced for an offence during a year does not always equal the number found guilty, as a defendant may be sentenced for an offence in a different year to the year they are found guilty of that offence.  Source: Court Proceedings Database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of persons found guilty of rape at all courts who were given immediate custody, community sentence, a fine, conditional discharge, or absolute discharge, in England and Wales by police force area for the year 2005( 1,2,3,4,5) ' 
			  2005 
			Result 
			  Force  Found guilty  Absolute discharge  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset 11 0 0 0 2 8 
			 Bedfordshire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Cambridgeshire 9 0 0 0 1 8 
			 Cheshire 10 0 0 0 0 10 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Cumbria 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Derbyshire 12 0 0 0 1 11 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19 0 0 0 0 18 
			 Dorset 4 0 0 0 1 3 
			 Durham 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Essex 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Gloucestershire 3 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Greater Manchester 46 0 0 0 3 43 
			 Hampshire 27 0 0 0 2 24 
			 Hertfordshire 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Humberside 16 0 0 0 1 15 
			 Kent 17 0 0 0 2 15 
			 Lancashire 13 0 0 0 0 13 
			 Leicestershire 10 0 0 0 0 10 
			 Lincolnshire 13 0 0 0 1 12 
			 Merseyside 23 0 0 1 0 22 
			 Metropolitan Police 104 0 0 0 0 102 
			 Norfolk 10 0 0 0 0 9 
			 North Yorkshire 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Northamptonshire 7 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Northumbria 11 0 0 0 1 10 
			 Nottinghamshire 18 0 0 0 0 17 
			 South Yorkshire 35 0 1 0 0 33 
			 Staffordshire 13 0 0 0 1 12 
			 Suffolk 7 0 0 0 1 6 
			 Surrey 4 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Sussex 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Thames Valley 21 0 0 0 0 20 
			 Warwickshire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 West Mercia 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 West Midlands 62 0 0 0 4 57 
			 West Yorkshire 48 0 0 0 3 44 
			 Wiltshire 3 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Gwent 7 0 0 0 0 7 
			 North Wales 3 0 0 0 0 3 
			 South Wales 16 0 0 0 1 15 
			 Total (England and Wales) 694 0 1 1 25 654 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statute: The Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sections 1, and 5. (4) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1st May 2004. (5) The number of defendants sentenced for an offence during a year does not always equal the number found guilty, as a defendant may be sentenced for an offence in a different year to the year they are found guilty of that offence.  Source: Court Proceedings Database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  N umber of persons found guilty of rape at all courts who were given immediate custody, community sentence, a fine, conditional discharge, or absolute discharge, in England and Wales by police force area for the year 2006( 1,2,3,4,5) 
			  2006 
			Result 
			  Force  Found guilty  Absolute discharge  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Avon and Somerset 17 0 0 0 1 16 
			 Bedfordshire 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Cheshire 17 0 1 0 2 14 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 16 0 0 0 0 16 
			 Cumbria 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Derbyshire 20 0 0 0 0 19 
			 Devon and Cornwall 18 0 0 0 0 18 
			 Dorset 8 0 0 0 1 7 
			 Durham 7 0 0 0 0 7 
			 Essex 12 1 0 0 1 10 
			 Gloucestershire 13 0 0 0 0 13 
			 Greater Manchester 47 0 0 0 0 47 
			 Hampshire 30 0 0 0 2 28 
			 Hertfordshire 8 0 0 0 1 6 
			 Humberside 26 0 0 0 2 24 
			 Kent 17 0 0 0 1 16 
			 Lancashire 29 0 0 0 2 27 
			 Leicestershire 7 0 0 0 0 7 
			 Lincolnshire 7 0 0 0 0 7 
			 Merseyside 15 0 0 0 0 15 
			 Metropolitan Police 133 0 0 0 3 128 
			 Norfolk 14 0 0 0 0 14 
			 North Yorkshire 11 0 0 0 2 9 
			 Northamptonshire 12 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Northumbria 19 0 0 0 1 17 
			 Nottinghamshire 13 0 0 0 0 13 
			 South Yorkshire 25 0 0 0 4 21 
			 Staffordshire 8 0 0 0 0 8 
			 Suffolk 12 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Surrey 5 0 0 0 1 4 
			 Sussex 11 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Thames Valley 17 0 0 0 0 17 
			 Warwickshire 5 0 0 0 0 5 
			 West Mercia 14 0 0 0 1 11 
			 West Midlands 48 0 0 0 2 46 
			 West Yorkshire 37 0 0 0 3 34 
			 Wiltshire 11 0 0 0 1 10 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Gwent 7 0 0 0 1 6 
			 North Wales 3 0 0 0 0 3 
			 South Wales 16 0 0 0 0 16 
			 Total (England and Wales) 754 1 1 0 32 710 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statute: The Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sections 1, and 5. (4) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force on 1 May 2004. (5) The number of defendants sentenced for an offence during a year does not always equal the number found guilty, as a defendant may be sentenced for an offence in a different year to the year they are found guilty of that offence.  Source: Court Proceedings Database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice